Benny Safdie Won First Solo Award, Doesn’t Thank Josh Safdie

When you’re winning an honor like a Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival , it’s easy to feel frazzled and forget a name or two in your acceptance speech. But it is hard not to notice when Benny Safdie doesn’t thank his brother, Josh Safdie, with whom he co-directed some of his biggest films, during the Venice Closing Ceremony . While on stage, The Smashing Machine director thanked A24 and the film’s producers, Mark Kerr (who the film is based on), and stars Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson, whom Benny refers to as “my friend, my brother, and partner.” After he thanked the crew on the film, Benny moved on to thank his family members, including his mother, stepfather, wife Ava, and his two sons. He then describes how important collaboration is to him when making